A Child of Our Own
by Vol lady
Summary: Audra and Carl are anxious to adopt a baby left at the orphanage, but there are complications. Good thing there's a lawyer in the family.
1. Chapter 1

A Child of Our Own

April 1881

Chapter 1

The Barkley mansion was full to the brim on a Saturday evening. For the first time in many weeks, everyone had come for drinks and dinner. Jarrod and Maggie were there with J.J., who at six months was already beginning to get his feet under him, if only wobbly and briefly. Audra and Carl had come, relaxing after a day of running the annual fundraiser for the orphanage. Nick and Heath had brought Nancy and Suzanne from town, and Victoria was pleased to just sit and talk and enjoy everyone's company.

J.J. was still struggling to mostly crawl, but he was now trying to pull himself up to standing by gripping the edges of the settee and the chairs. Everyone was amazed at how fast he was trying these things. His parents had to be more vigilant, because in true Jarrod Barkley style, he spotted and started pulling himself for the scotch whenever anyone who was drinking put a glass down on any surface.

"You're going to have to do something about that child and his drinking problem," Victoria said.

"We have our eyes on him," Jarrod assured her. "And I keep my stash just as well hidden at home as I keep it here."

"You still have some scotch stashed away here?" Victoria asked. "Where?"

"Only one bottle left, but it wouldn't remain hidden for long if I told you where it was," Jarrod said with a twinkle in his eye. "Let's just say that it's safely out of sight and out of reach of these sneaky little fingers of my son's – and my brothers."

Nick and Heath both shot him dirty looks, but then began to smile.

"J.J.'s looking more and more like you every day," Heath said.

"And any minute now he's gonna start spouting off precedents and legal arguments," Nick said.

"He does like books already," Maggie said, "but he likes tearing the pages out more than anything."

"He got that straight from his father," Victoria said. "He did the same thing when he was small."

They continued to talk about J.J.'s adventures for several minutes, but Audra kept to herself rather than join in. She was sitting on Carl's lap in one of the armchairs. Carl kept an arm around her, both to keep her balanced and to make sure that she knew that he understood what she was feeling and his love was there for her.

Audra had known for several months that she could not have children of her own, and her heart was still broken. Aside from Carl, only Jarrod and her mother knew her situation. She had never told Nick or Heath or anyone else. It was too difficult to talk about, and the subject had never come up, but suddenly, it did.

Nick did it. "Audra, you ready to bring us another J.J. anytime soon?"

Audra didn't know what to say. After an awkward silence, she said, "It just hasn't happened for us yet."

Nick realized right away he'd hit a touchy subject. "Well, one J.J. is probably enough in this house for a while."

They went on to another subject and talked for another twenty minutes or so before Silas came out and announced that dinner was served. As they all got up and went into the dining room, Jarrod took a moment to put an arm around his sister and giver her a little hug. She smiled at him.

Everyone noticed it, and those who did not know what Audra was going through realized that there was something going on.

XXXXXXX

Maggie had gotten J.J. to sleep, and Jarrod was crawling into bed with her later that night when the subject came up again. They kissed and settled in together, and Jarrod turned out the lamp beside the bed.

And Maggie asked, "Is everything all right with Audra and Carl?"

"As far as I know," Jarrod said.

"She seemed a bit withdrawn tonight after Nick asked her about having a baby," Maggie said.

"Yes, I noticed," Jarrod said.

"You don't think there's a problem there, do you?"

Jarrod leaned over and kissed his wife. "If there is, it's Audra's prerogative to keep it to herself."

"I just care about her."

"I know. I do, too."

"You don't have to tell me everything you know – but whatever it is, she's going to be all right, isn't she? She and Carl are all right, aren't they?"

Jarrod knew that try as he might, he couldn't keep much from his wife. She knew he knew more than he was telling. "Yes, she's going to be all right, and she and Carl are better than ever."

Maggie knew that she would get no more out of him. When he was keeping someone else's secret, he kept it tight. But it was enough to know that the problem wasn't something that threatened the Wheelers' marriage. She kissed Jarrod, and they settled in together for the night.

XXXXXXX

Audra and Carl were settling into bed at about the same time. Audra had been quiet all night, even after they rode home. Carl understood why, and he did not press her on it, until they were in bed and the lights were out.

There is something about darkness that makes the truth come out, as if the darkness itself were some kind of defense against painful revelations. Carl kissed his wife and then said, "Nick kind of got to you, didn't he?"

"Yes," Audra said.

"He doesn't know."

"No. Only Mother and Jarrod know."

"You think maybe everyone else ought to know? I know Nick would feel terrible if he hurt you, even without knowing he was hurting you."

Audra sighed and tried to keep from crying, but this subject always brought tears, even when she tried not to let it happen. "I don't know how I'd begin to tell such a thing to him or Heath. With Jarrod, it just came out, but Jarrod is different. I could always tell him things, and they would find a way of coming out even if I didn't want them to. It's not that way with Nick or Heath."

"I can tell them."

Audra was surprised he'd said that. "I don't know."

Carl ran a finger down the side of Audra's face, and when he felt a tear, he brushed it away. "Let me tell them, Audra. I know how private it is for you, but they're family. They really need to know. You'll feel better if there's no secret lying around."

Audra considered that. Carl had been right in the beginning, when he told her she should tell her mother what was wrong. Audra did tell her, and it did help her feel better. "All right. If you think there's a time you should talk about it with them, go ahead, and let them tell Suzanne and Nancy."

Carl kissed her again. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I do," Audra said, sincerely. "I really do."

"May I show you?"

"Oh, yes. Definitely."

XXXXXXX

At the same time, Victoria was settling in for sleep as well. She had been restless and came down for some warm milk, and as she sat in the settee in the living room, trying to relax, she remembered how Nick had asked, and how awkward the response had been.

Her heart ached for her daughter, both because she could not have children of her own but also because she didn't yet realize that it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Of course, it was a feeling that Victoria herself could never fully understand, she knew that. What troubled her was that she could not find a way to comfort Audra.

She tried to imagine her life without any of her children. She then remembered that Heath was not her baby, and she tried to imagine what she would have felt like if he had come here, as he did, when none of her children had ever been born. She knew, deep in her soul, that she would have welcomed Heath even more sincerely, and even more joyously, than she did.

Victoria knew that if Audra decided to adopt a child, it would be the best decision she ever made. As she finished her milk, Victoria decided that she had to find some way to make Audra see that. She understood how Audra believed that adopting one of the children from the orphanage might make the others feel rejected, but there had to be a way around that. There had to be some way that Audra could adopt a child as her own.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Good morning, Mrs. Wheeler," Audra heard whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Wheeler. What time is it?"

Carl checked his pocket watch on the nighttable. "Oh, a bit after five. We need to be getting up."

Audra grabbed him around the neck and pulled him close for a kiss first. "Mmmm," she said, enjoying it, and remembering how much she enjoyed the night before after they had gone to bed.

"I have to get up," Carl said, and began to do so.

Audra began to get up and get ready for her day, too. "I need to go to the orphanage today after church," she said. "I promised the nuns and the children that I'd help with a picnic they'd planned in the park by the river."

"Sounds nice," Carl said. "I'd go with you if I could."

"It's all right," Audra said. "But I might be a little later getting home than usual."

"Take your time," Carl said. "I'll probably be late out at the herd, too. We have to do a full tally of the herd, and that's going to take a good long time."

Carl paused in his getting dressed to draw Audra close to him. He was in his pants and unbuttoned shirt, but she was only in her slip. He resisted the temptation to cure her of that. "I'll get get some coffee on while you finish dressing."

"You can start the bacon, too," Audra said. "I'll be in in a few minutes."

Carl put his boots on and buttoned his shirt as he went into the kitchen. Before long, he had the coffee brewing and was beginning to cut the bacon, but he heard a horse ride up to the house. He wasn't expecting anyone, so he went out onto the porch.

It was Nick, alone. Carl was surprised. "What are you doing here so early, Nick? It's barely getting up time."

Nick dismounted. "Oh, I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes before I got ready to go to church," he said, quietly, and came up to Carl at the edge of the porch.

"You want to come in?" Carl asked.

"No," Nick said. "I'm hoping this won't take long. I kinda got the feeling that I said something wrong last night. Audra seemed to get – I don't know, my question about you two having a baby didn't seem to sit well with her."

Carl sighed, happy he had talked to Audra about that last night.

Nick said it. "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah, Nick, we're fine," Carl said, "but there is something. Audra said it was okay for me to talk to you about it. See, it looks like she can't have a baby."

Nick straightened, stunned. He didn't know what to say. "You sure about that?"

Carl nodded. "Dr. Merar told her he didn't think it was possible."

"Well, that doesn't mean anything. He could be wrong."

"Yeah, could be, but so far it looks like he's right."

"Oh." Nick looked like he actually deflated. "Carl, I'm sorry."

"We're figuring out how to handle it, Nick. Don't worry about that. But Audra is still a little tender about it. She didn't know how to tell you."

"Does my mother know?"

"Yeah, and Jarrod knows, too. You know him. He has a way of getting her to talk to him about anything."

"She's not the only one he gets to do that. Carl, is there anything I can do?"

"No, fraid not. The only thing I've thought to do is try to get her to consider us adopting a child, but so far, she's reluctant to do that. Thinks it would hurt the children at the orphanage that we didn't adopt. But we'll work this out, Nick."

"Are you all right? Not having an heir – "

Carl quickly shook his head. "That's not as important to me as you might think. Audra's more important."

"Well, if there's anything I can do."

"I know, Nick. You can go ahead and tell Heath and the girls about it if you feel the need, but don't let it go outside the family if you can. Audra doesn't need everybody in town finding out."

Nick nodded and remounted. "See you later, Carl," he said and took off.

Carl went back into the house and found Audra now cutting the bacon. "I saw you with Nick out there," she said. "What did he want?"

"He felt bad about what he said last night," Carl said, coming up behind his wife and putting his arms around her waist. "I guess it's a good thing we talked."

Audra stopped cutting. "Did you tell him?"

"I did. He feels pretty bad about what he said and he was worried about us, but I told him we're figuring out how to deal with things and we're all right. I told him having an heir wasn't as important to me as having you."

Audra turned around in tears and pulled herself closer to Carl.

"Hey, now," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I just love you so much."

Carl smiled and kissed her. "You darned well ought to," he teased. "I'm pretty wonderful."

Audra chuckled. "Yes, you are."

XXXXXXX

Nick went on home and began to change his clothes for church. As soon as he came out of his room, changed and ready to go, Heath was there planning to catch him before they ran into their mother.

"Did you talk to Carl?" Heath asked.

"Yeah," Nick said. "Turns out there is a problem. Audra can't have children."

"Oh, no," Heath breathed. "Does Mother know?"

"Yeah. Jarrod knows, too. I guess she just didn't know how to talk to us about it, and we didn't have the tricks Jarrod has to get it out of her."

They began to walk downstairs. "She'll tell Jarrod anything, you know that."

"He always had a way with her."

"He's Pappy."

Nick chuckled a little. "Well, anyway, Carl says the two of them are all right. They're just trying to adjust. He said Audra is more important to him than having children. That made me feel better."

"Me, too. So what are we going to say to her when we see her at church?"

"Nothing. Just leave it alone. She'll know we know, and if she wants to talk to us about it, she'll say so. Best we leave it to her."

They were coming down the stairs as Nick said that, and in the foyer below, Victoria heard him. She said, "So that's where you were – talking to Carl."

Nick nodded. "Yeah. I had to know what I did wrong."

Victoria nodded with a sigh. "Well, it's best we all know about it now. Audra will feel better for it, even if she doesn't think so yet. And yes, you're right, we shouldn't say anything to her at church."

"How do you feel about it, Mother?" Heath asked. "I know you really wanted her to have children."

"They may decide to adopt, and that will be just as good to me." Then she smiled at Heath. "After all, a child doesn't have to carry my blood for me to feel like he does."

She gave Heath a kiss on the cheek, and he gave her a smile.

XXXXXXX

It was early Monday morning that Sister Theresa finished morning prayers with the other sisters, and some little sound coming from outside the front door of the orphanage made her go to take a look. She opened the door and there was no one there – but she heard the sound again, a soft cry. A baby cry.

She had to look around, but her heart was beating wildly until she found the tiny bundle. It looked like someone had just left blankets, but the little cry came out of them. Sister Theresa picked up the bundle, and it squirmed. She pulled the blankets away.

A tiny baby, a newborn, half crying, half sleeping. "Oh – " Sister Theresa said, and she took the baby inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two days later, Jarrod was sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling to get his boots on, and hoping Maggie didn't notice. She was busy dressing and getting her hair put up, so he was pretty sure she didn't see. What he didn't take into account was that she was looking into her mirror, and she could see him behind her.

She had noticed several things lately, his struggle with his boots being one of them. He was fastening his belt a notch or two looser as well, and she could see that his left hand in particular was swollen almost all the time, so much so that you couldn't see the tendons and veins anymore.

Maggie knew what all that meant, but since he was seeing Dr. Merar pretty regularly, she was leaving it up to him to begin to talk about it with her. She was certain Dr. Merar saw the same things she did. She wanted to grant her husband his privacy, for now anyway. It was going to disappear all too soon.

As for the fact that her heart was breaking every time she looked at him – she kept that to herself. She would shed all her tears when he wasn't around.

Once he got his boots on and she got her hair pinned up, she turned and pulled him close while he was still sitting on the bed. "Mmmmm," he said happily.

"I expect the other Barkley will be heard from at any moment," Maggie said. "I'll see he's fed and ready for the day."

"Mrs. Reilly should be here before long," Jarrod said, referring to their housekeeper who came to prepare breakfast at seven and saw them through the day. "I have a couple right-of-way documents to finalize and take to town today."

"When are you planning to go in?"

"After lunch, I think. Shouldn't take me long."

"Stay and play a little poker if you like."

"I may just do that." Jarrod stood up and kissed his wife. "I'll put coffee on while you feed – "

Before he finished the sentence, J.J. began to wail in the nursery.

"While you feed J.J.," Jarrod said.

Maggie laughed and went off to the nursery.

Jarrod sighed happily and picked his pocket watch up from the nighttable. It was just before seven - J.J. gave them a little break this morning - and as he went into the living room, heading for the kitchen, he heard Mrs. Reilly's buggy pull up. He opened the front door to her as she was climbing down.

"Good morning, Mr. Barkley," she said and came up the steps. "How is everything this morning?"

"Just fine," Jarrod said. "I was just going to start the coffee."

"I'll take care of that," she said, went by him, and after hanging her reticule at the rack near the door, went straight to the kitchen.

 _Domestic bliss_ , Jarrod thought to himself. _Look it up in the dictionary and you'll probably see the Jarrod Barkley family listed there._

Except his feet already hurt. With a sigh, he went to his desk to finish up the rights-of-way he was working on, and he lifted his feet onto the footstool he was keeping under the desk these days. It helped a little. He tried not to think about it, and soon the scent of coffee and bacon helped a lot.

XXXXXXX

It was about two in the afternoon by the time Jarrod made it to the records office to file the rights-of-way. He told himself that Nick would be happy, and he went to Harry's saloon to see if he could find a poker game.

As he crossed the street, he saw a Wheeler Ranch buggy hitched to the rail outside the mercantile, and he knew Audra was in town. He detoured into the mercantile, realizing for a moment that he could help his swollen foot problem by buying bigger boots. But he decided now was not the time, because sure enough, there Audra was, picking out fabric. Jarrod snuck up behind her and said, "Caught you."

Audra jumped, but laughed when she turned and saw who it was. "That was nasty, Jarrod," she laughed.

"I couldn't resist," Jarrod said. He saw she was examining white fabric for a shirt. "Who's this for?"

"Carl," Audra said. "His birthday is in late July. I want to make sure I have plenty of time to make him a new dress shirt. What do you think of this?"

"I like it. Make me a shirt, too?"

"When your birthday rolls around. How are Maggie and J.J.?"

"Just fine. How's Carl?"

"Just as fine. What are you doing in town?"

"Filing some papers, and Maggie gave me permission to seek out a poker game."

"You must have been a good boy."

"Always," Jarrod said and kissed Audra's cheek. "Do you have time for a cup of coffee at the Stockton House?"

"Yes," Audra said, and she gave the clerk instructions for the amount of fabric she wanted and said she'd be back for it later.

Jarrod offered his arm, and they walked together toward the Stockton House in the next block.

"I'm glad I ran into you," Audra said as they walked. "I have some news."

"Good news, I hope," Jarrod said.

"I think so," Audra said, smiling that smile that said she was hiding a wonderful secret.

Jarrod raised his eyebrows. "Tell me now, or are you going to make me wait?"

"While we're having coffee," Audra said.

And as soon as they were seated and ordered their coffee, Jarrod said, "All right, what's the good news?"

"Funny, how things seem to fall into place when you least expect it," Audra said.

"How so?"

"The day before yesterday someone left a baby at the door of the orphanage."

Jarrod thought he knew what was coming. "Oh?"

"The nuns aren't really prepared to take a baby in right now, and I talked to Carl about it. We're going to adopt her."

Jarrod brightened up visibly. "A girl? You're going to have a baby girl?"

Audra began to laugh. "Isn't it wonderful? I was going to stop by your place on my way home to ask you to handle the paperwork."

"Well, of course, I'll handle it!" Jarrod could hardly contain himself. "I can get on it as soon as I get home. I'm going to be an uncle!"

Audra laughed. "And her name is going to be Victoria Marie, for Mother and Carl's mother."

"Does Mother know yet?"

"No, and neither does anyone but you, so don't go spoiling my surprise. Carl and I plan to tell them at dinner at Mother's Friday night."

"I'll get the paperwork done as fast as I can. I take it the parents aren't known."

Audra grew a little sober. "No. There wasn't a note or anything, just the baby. The nuns say it's been years since anyone has just left a baby with them."

"I can't even think of a woman around town who's been withchild."

"Neither can I. The nuns think it was someone from one of the outlying farms, or perhaps someone from another town who didn't want her local people to know. It's so sad."

"But it happens. At least they left her at exactly the right door."

Audra beamed. "Can you believe it? Carl and I are going to have a baby!"

Jarrod reached an arm to her, stood up to span the table and gave her a hug. "Congratulations, honey. I know you'll make a wonderful mother."

"And the orphans will be happy, too. They know the baby can't stay at the orphanage, but they'll be thrilled because I'll be bringing the baby with me whenever I come."

Jarrod nodded and said, "You were right. It is funny how things seem to fall into place when you least expect it. Now, listen, as far as baby things are concerned, Maggie and I can gather up some of J.J.'s things he doesn't fit into anymore, and whatever else you need, I'll get for you at the mercantile."

"Oh, Jarrod, you don't have to do all that."

"Of course, I do. I mean, Nick and Heath have been uncles for quite some time, but this is a first for me!"

Audra laughed. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I think I'll be skipping the poker game. There's so much to do!"

Audra laughed again at how excited Jarrod seemed to be, and she knew for certain, as soon as she saw his reaction, that God had sent Victoria Marie directly to her, because she needed that baby as much as the baby needed her. And that Jarrod was right. She would be a good mother.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was the very next day when Jarrod rode over to the Wheeler ranch with the adoption papers that Audra and Carl would need to sign. Audra was there alone and came to the door as soon as she heard Jarrod ride into the yard.

"That was fast," Audra said.

"I'm anxious to be an uncle," Jarrod said.

"Come on in," Audra said.

As Jarrod came in, Audra asked if he wanted some coffee, but he declined. "I need to get back home fairly quickly and I want to explain this petition to you. Carl's not here, I take it."

"He's out in the field."

"Well, this is pretty straightforward. Some blanks here to be filled in, not very complicated, and places you need to sign at the end. I'll sign as your attorney after you and Carl have signed. I have papers for the orphanage to sign as well, and the good news is that these things can usually be handled in a matter of days."

"Days?!" Audra's eyes bugged out and she broke into a grin like sunshine. "We might have her in DAYS?!"

Jarrod nodded. "If all goes well."

Audra threw her arms around her brother. "Oh, please, go over these with me right now!"

They sat down at the kitchen table, and Jarrod went over the petition in detail with Audra. As he promised, it was not complicated. Audra thought she would have no trouble explaining things to Carl, but said that if they would come see him at home the next day. If they had any questions, they could ask him then. Otherwise, they would just sign then.

Jarrod got up then and kissed his sister on the cheek. "This is pretty exciting, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure who's more excited, you or us," Audra laughed.

"I'm that obvious, am I?" Jarrod asked.

Audra nodded. "Yes, Pappy, you are."

Jarrod winked. "That's 'Uncle Pappy' now."

XXXXXXX

The young man and woman came to the orphanage at about the same time Jarrod was leaving the Wheeler ranch. They were not a wealthy couple, dressed poorly and barely clean. They looked like they had spent more than one night camping out somewhere, so the nuns were anxious to take them in for a meal at least.

The woman did not say much. The man said very little but thanked the nuns for the meal.

"Where are you coming from?" Sister Theresa asked.

"We're from Kansas," the young man said.

"That's a very long way to come. Where are you planning to go?"

"Further south in the valley," he said. "We're hoping I can find work."

"What do you do?"

"Farm, ranch work, whatever I can get. We looked around here for a few days, but there's nobody wants to hire me, so we'll be moving on."

Everything was quiet and cordial until the couple was finished eating. As they were leaving, they heard the baby cry, and one of the other nuns brought the infant into the kitchen.

The young woman saw the baby and began to cry. The young man put his arm around her, urging her to leave, but she was crying so much that Sister Theresa felt the need to keep her for a moment.

"What's the trouble, my child?" Sister Theresa asked.

The young woman just shook her head.

The young man said, "She lost a baby a couple weeks ago. You know how it can hurt a woman."

The young woman stared at the baby and even seemed to want to go to her, but the young man hurried her out. She was still in tears, but they left through the kitchen door to the outside.

Sister Theresa and the nun holding the baby while the bottle of milk heated looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing, but did not say it.

The baby began to cry again.

XXXXXXX

Carl and Audra – as excited as they could be – brought the adoption papers to Jarrod the next morning. All three of them signed, with Maggie witnessing. J.J. looked on, but all he really wanted was to grab the papers and tear them up.

Audra watched J.J., laughing. "Just think, J.J. In a few days, you might have your very own cousin."

J.J. looked at her when he heard his name, but his attention went back to the papers his father was putting into his briefcase as soon as Audra had finished the sentence.

"Jarrod, will you come see us as soon as you file these?" Carl asked. "We'd like to know how things are going."

"Of course," Jarrod said. "And I'll go to the orphanage right away and get the paperwork from them. I'll file everything today if I can."

"Please let us know how things go," Audra said.

"Would you like to stay for some coffee?" Maggie asked.

"Wish we could, but I have to get to work," Carl said.

"And I have to get ready for a new baby," Audra said.

"Which reminds me," Maggie said, "Jarrod, would you get the things out of the nursery?"

Jarrod put his briefcase down and went into the nursery. In a minute, he came out with a suitcase and the cradle J.J. had outgrown. He smiled as he delivered them to Carl. "You're gonna need these things."

Audra and Carl beamed. Audra kissed Jarrod on the cheek. "Thank you, Jarrod. Thank you for everything."

"Thank me when I bring you that baby," Jarrod said.

XXXXXXX

Jarrod was dismounting in front of the orphanage in less than an hour. He realized he hadn't felt so light on his feet in months, as if all the fluid his body was retaining had suddenly disappeared. It hadn't, of course. He still couldn't buckle his belt as tightly as usual and his feet still hurt. But being able to help Audra get a child of her own put a lift in his step that he dearly missed.

As he went into the orphanage, he realized it was nap time for the children, so he stepped quietly. Sister Theresa saw him and came over to him.

"Good morning, Sister," he said. "I want to finalize the paperwork for the Wheelers' adopting your youngest charge."

"Come into the office," Sister Theresa said and led him that way.

Sister Theresa closed the door quietly behind them, and Jarrod took the papers he needed signed out of his briefcase. As he put them on the desk, he noticed Sister Theresa looked a little unhappy. His stomach dipped a bit. "Is anything wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "We fed a young couple yesterday – they said they were passing through on their way south, looking for work. They were destitute and we could help, so we did. But they said the young woman had lost a baby a couple weeks ago. This baby we have here is about that age."

Jarrod frowned. "Did they say the baby was theirs?"

"No, but when they heard her cry – well, the young woman became visibly upset."

"That's understandable, whether the child is theirs or not."

Sister Theresa sat down behind the desk. "I'm just in a quandary, Mr. Barkley. If the child is theirs and they want her back…"

Jarrod sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "Sister, if the child is theirs, they abandoned her, and perhaps they did it for a good reason – so their child did not have to face the destitution they face. So their child would have a better life. Did you ask them if this baby was theirs?"

"No. It happened very fast, just as they were leaving. I couldn't think that fast."

"Well, what do you want to do? Are you declining to sign the adoption papers?"

Sister Theresa sighed. "I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jarrod leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. He had thought this adoption was going to breeze right through, but now it was getting complicated, and he might have to break his sister's heart. He felt his chest beginning to tighten. He breathed through it.

"Sister," he said, "how could these people prove this baby is their child, if they want to do that? Was there a note or a particular blanket or a birthmark of some sort?"

Sister Theresa shook her head. "Nothing like that. The blankets were just regular blankets, looked like they were torn from bigger blankets. There was no note and there are no birthmarks."

"So there's no way for these people to prove the child is theirs."

Sister Theresa shrugged.

"So you wouldn't just hand the baby over to them on their say-so, would you?"

"No, we couldn't do that."

Jarrod leaned forward over the desk. "Sister, the Wheelers are fine people. They have the means to care for this child properly. This couple who was here – they obviously don't have the means. You couldn't possibly give that baby to them just on their statement that the baby is theirs – and they haven't made that claim. If they did, I'd seriously suspect that it was just their grief over losing their own child making them do it."

"Mr. Barkley – " Sister Theresa finally said, holding her hands up. "Please don't pressure me. I know how much Audra wants a child of her own, and she did tell me she wasn't able to bear one. I know she'd be an excellent mother and she and her husband can care for the infant much better than the couple who came here can."

"Sister," Jarrod broke in, "if this couple is the couple who abandoned that child, they ABANDONED that child! A court would never allow them to have that child back when there is a couple of means who wants her and can provide for her. The risk that that couple would abandon the baby again would be too great. Please, Sister, don't block this adoption now."

"I don't want to block it. I just want a little more time to consider the situation."

"Sister – "

"Mr. Barkley, please. Let's wait until tomorrow. If this couple has not come back by tomorrow morning, I'll sign the proper papers to allow the adoption to go through."

Jarrod leaned back again. "What do you suggest I tell Audra?"

"The truth. That I am uncertain whether this baby's mother will come back for her, and I want to wait one more day to be sure."

Jarrod sighed. He fingered the papers he had taken out of his briefcase and slipped them closer to Sister Theresa. "Sister, I'm going to leave these with you, and I'm going to come back at about three o'clock."

It was Sister Theresa's turn to sigh. "All right. Come back at three and we'll see if anything has happened – or not happened – to change my mind, but if I still want to wait until tomorrow, I'll expect you to respect my decision."

Jarrod nodded, getting up. "That sounds eminently fair, Sister."

Sister Theresa stood up, offering her hand and smiling when Jarrod took it. "Please believe that I want Audra to have this baby, but not at the price her own parents might pay, even if they are poor."

Jarrod said, "I hope you haven't misunderstood me, Sister."

"No, I don't think I have. I think you have this child's best interest at heart and you're not showing any prejudice. You just want what's best for the baby. But you also want your sister to have what she wants."

Jarrod nodded. "That's right. Please give this your most serious consideration."

"You can be sure I will."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod went home instead of going to the Wheelers'. He was unusually tired as he dismounted, even leaving his horse saddled because he didn't seem to have the energy to take care of him.

"Sorry, old boy," he said, stroking his horse's muzzle. "I'll try to see to you in a little bit."

He went into the house and found Mrs. Reilly preparing lunch. Maggie was in the nursery, sitting in the rocker and letting J.J. nurse. The boy was just getting onto solid food and Maggie was trying to wean him, but she was not hurrying the process. Jarrod left his briefcase on his desk and went into the nursery.

Maggie saw the tired look on his face. "How did it go?"

"It didn't," Jarrod said. "Hit a snag. Sister Theresa is not ready to sigh the adoption papers."

"Why not?"

"A young couple came in, said they'd lost a baby recently."

"They want the baby."

"No, no, they didn't say anything like that, but they made Sister Theresa uneasy. She wants to wait a day in case they come back."

"And she'd give them the baby, just like that?"

"No, I don't think she would, not without proof it was theirs. I'm going back at three o'clock to see if anything has happened or if Sister Theresa has changed her mind."

Maggie eyed him and asked her question quietly so Mrs. Reilly wouldn't hear. "Are you up to going back today? You look exhausted."

Jarrod gave her a smile. "I'll take it easy until then. Don't worry, I'm fine. Just very disappointed, for Audra's sake."

Maggie was still suspicious. "Don't push yourself too hard, Jarrod."

"I know," he said. "I don't have the get-up-and-go I used to have, but this is important to Audra. I promise, I won't push too hard."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Jarrod leaned down, kissed his wife, and ran his hand over his son's head. J.J. had fallen asleep. "You've got enough just taking care of this little man. I'll get a bite to eat and I'll have to run by and see Audra before I go back to town, but I'll stop by on the way into town and I'll rest until then. How's that?"

"Is it the best I can get?"

"Yes."

"Then it will have to do."

Jarrod kissed her again. "Put him down and come have something to eat with me."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod was feeling a bit more alert when he rode by the Wheeler ranch, and he tried to convince himself that what was happening was only a delay of a few hours and nothing more. He knew he'd have to be convincing on that point if he was going to get Audra to believe him. When she was out on the porch even he dismounted, he knew it was going to be a tough sell.

"I thought you'd be here earlier," she said. "Has something happened?"

"No, honey, not exactly. Let's go inside."

Audra took him into the house. She looked almost frantic.

"Now, take it easy," he said.

"You didn't file the papers," she said fast. "What went wrong?"

"Not wrong, just delayed a bit," Jarrod tried to calm her down.

"Why?"

"Sister Theresa wants to wait to sign the papers."

"What?"

"A young couple came to the church today. They haven't made a claim for the baby, but they told her they had lost a baby recently. Sister Theresa just wants to be sure they aren't going to make a claim."

"Wait? How long? If they abandoned the baby, how can they make a claim now?"

"Calm down, calm down," Jarrod tried again and tried to sit her down on the sofa, but she would not sit. "Nobody's saying they are making a claim. Sister Theresa just wants to be sure that this adoption goes through without any problems."

"How long does she want to wait?"

"Probably til tomorrow, but I'm going back as soon as I leave here to see if she's changed her mind and will sign the papers today."

"I'm going with you."

"No," Jarrod said, holding her firmly by the arms. "You are not going with me. It will not help any and it could hurt."

"How could it hurt? Sister Theresa knows me. She knows I'll be a good mother for the baby, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does, but if for some reason that couple does come back, it won't do you any good for them to see you like this, and it won't help Sister Theresa make up her mind in your favor, so just get hold of yourself and calm down."

Audra tried, but now she was in tears. "Oh, Jarrod – "

Jarrod took her in his arms. "I know this hurts, honey, but it may not mean anything. You just have to hold on a little longer. Isn't becoming a mother worth that? I mean, you're not gonna have to wait the nine months."

For some reason, that made Audra laugh.

"There," Jarrod said, wiping her tears. "Just leave everything to Pappy, all right? We'll work this out soon."

Audra nodded. "All right. But please let me know as soon as you know anything."

"I will let you know tomorrow at the latest. In the meantime, you just take care of yourself and try not to worry, all right?"

Audra nodded and wiped some of her own tears away.

Jarrod kissed her. "I have to go. I'll see you soon."

Audra nodded again and let him go out the door. She made sure he was riding away before she sat down and started to cry again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jarrod went into the orphanage but didn't find Sister Theresa right away. The children were all napping again, so he tried to be quiet as he went through to the office. The door was closed. He knocked softly.

Sister Theresa's voice said, "Come in," very softly.

Jarrod opened the door. He saw the young couple sitting in the chairs in front of Sister Theresa's desk. He knew right away who they had to be. Jarrod came in and closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Barkley, this is Mr. and Mrs. Wrigley," Sister Theresa said. "This is Mr. Barkley. He represents the couple who wants to adopt the baby."

Jarrod came closer. The young man looked up at him and then away. The woman did not look up at all.

Sister Theresa said, "These people say they are the baby's parents."

Jarrod expected that. "What proof do you have of that claim?" he asked.

"Don't see why we need proof," the young man said.

"Because the child was abandoned and could have been abandoned by anybody," Jarrod said. "Did anyone see you leave the baby here?"

"Left her before sunup," the man said. "Nobody around to see us."

"If you have no way of proving the child is yours, then you're going to have a tough time walking out of here with her," Jarrod said, and he moved around to stand at the end of Sister Theresa's desk, where he could see everyone's face.

"Tell him, Cerise," the man said to the woman.

"I had her about two weeks ago," the woman said quietly. "We tried to keep her fed and everything, but it got too tough and we decided to leave her here, but I just miss her so much…."

"I need more than that," Sister Theresa said.

The young man's eyes flashed.

"You must understand that the moment the child was left with us, we became responsible for her life," Sister Theresa went on. "That means we cannot give her to anyone without the approval of the court."

"We got as much right to claim her as anybody else," the man said.

Jarrod knew right now that this man was not the baby's father. He looked at the woman, and he was pretty sure she was not the baby's mother, either. "Support your claim. Show us what you have."

"Look," the man said, "I know my own child, and if you want to take this to court, we can do that."

"How much do you want?" Jarrod asked.

Sister Theresa looked at Jarrod like he was insane.

The man did not answer.

"To give up any claim you have to the child," Jarrod continued. "How much money do you want?"

The woman did not look particularly alarmed. She did not look happy, but not alarmed either.

The man didn't answer right away. He fumbled and said, "You'd pay us to go away and leave her with you?"

"How much do you want?" Jarrod asked again.

"Mr. Barkley – " Sister Theresa said.

The man said, "I hadn't given it a lot of thought."

"Yes, you have," Jarrod said, almost snarling. His chest was beginning to seize up on him, he was so mad, but he kept the pain at bay. "That's the only reason you're here. You saw the baby when you were here last and decided to see if you could play a scam."

The young man fumbled for words again. The young woman hung her head as if she were crying.

"Mr. Wrigley, I think we'll have to take this issue to the sheriff and the courts," Sister Theresa said. "You can make your claim to them."

"And forget about money," Jarrod said. "I just wanted to see what your motivations really are. I think a court would be interested in that, too."

"All right," the man said, standing up sharply. "We give up whatever claim we have."

"You ready to sign the papers saying that?" Jarrod asked.

"I'm not signing no papers," the man said, pulled his wife up and went straight out the door, slamming it behind him.

Sister Theresa asked, "How did you know?"

"I didn't," Jarrod said, "but he had no evidence the child was theirs, and when I brought up money, well, I saw the wheels starting to turn. I suspected he'd forget everything and leave if we put everything in front of a judge."

"I should have known you'd see that if it was there. I suppose as a criminal attorney, you learned to read faces a lot."

"I'm sorry if I intruded in your talk with them, but I've got a sister who's very upset, and quite frankly, I don't think I could stand to see any baby in that man's care."

Sister Theresa handed Jarrod the adoption papers. She had already signed them. She gave Jarrod a slight smile. "I've learned to read people, too."

Jarrod grinned. The pain that had been starting to rise in his chest flew away all by itself. He loved being outfoxed sometimes.

XXXXX

Jarrod filed the papers with the court and asked to take them to the judge personally. The whole procedure was over and the court decree was signed and filed by five o'clock.

Jarrod rented a buggy and took Sister Theresa and the baby out to the Wheeler ranch, arriving a little after six in the evening. Audra came running out on the porch as soon as she saw her brother climb out of the buggy, Carl right behind her.

Then Jarrod took the baby from Sister Theresa, and turned with a big grin on his face. "Uncle Jarrod just won the happiest case of his career."

Audra gasped, her eyes wide and her mouth open and tears streaming down her face as Jarrod put the baby carefully into her arms. Carl was gasping and crying as well. Neither one of them knew what to say.

"Will you be ready for the baptism this Saturday?" Sister Theresa said.

Audra nodded and laughed and came over to Sister Theresa to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"What will her name be?" Sister Theresa asked.

Carl choked. "Victoria Marie Wheeler," he said. "She's Victoria Marie Wheeler."

Jarrod and Sister Theresa fought their own sets of tears as they looked at each other.

Jarrod said quietly, "Are you all set for the night?"

Carl nodded. "Yeah, we'll be all right tonight."

Audra kissed her brother on the cheek. "I love you, Uncle Jarrod."

Jarrod chuckled. "I want those to be her first words."

XXXXXXX

That evening, after Jarrod left, Carl sent one of his hands over to the Barkley mansion with the news that there was a new arrival at the Wheeler house. Victoria, Nick and Heath were at the Wheeler house as fast as they could get there, and in less than an hour, Audra was putting her daughter into her mother's arms.

"Oh – " Victoria said. "Oh, my goodness! Oh – "

Audra laughed. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"What's her name?" Heath asked.

"Victoria Marie Wheeler," Carl said proudly.

Victoria's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh – "

"You've said that a few times, Mother," Nick said with a grin.

"I don't know what else to say," Victoria said and kissed her granddaughter. "How did this happen so fast?"

"Someone left her at the orphanage," Audra said. "Jarrod got all the paperwork together yesterday and today, and by this evening, it was official. He got the judge to approve the adoption right away."

"Oh – " Victoria said again.

"Pappy strikes again," Heath said. "Do you think he'd go for 'Uncle Pappy'?"

"He's pretty excited about being an uncle," Audra said. "This is his first time, remember?"

"That's right," Nick said. "I guess it is."

"She's mighty pretty," Heath said.

"Just like her mother," Carl said and kissed his wife's hair.

Audra beamed. "We'll have the baptism on Saturday at the church."

"We'll all be there," Victoria asked. "Have you chosen godparents?"

"Well, I was thinking Jarrod – " Audra stopped short.

They all knew why. It would have been lovely for it to be Jarrod, but it couldn't be, not with his illness, not with what the future held for him.

"Heath," Audra said, "will you be her Godfather?"

"I would be happy to," Heath said.

"Mother, do you think you could be her Godmother?"

"Oh, I think you should choose someone younger – like Nancy."

Audra beamed again. "Nancy? Do you think she'd accept?"

"Oh, I think she will," Nick confirmed.

Victoria Marie suddenly yawned and began to cry.

"Oh," Audra said, "I'd better get some milk ready for her."

"You're going to need a wet nurse," Victoria said. "I can work on that tomorrow for you if you like."

"Oh, please," Audra said, hurrying for the kitchen.

"Yeah," Carl said. "I think we're going to have our hands full."


	7. Chapter 7

Epilogue

Jarrod came into the house after tethering his horse to the hitching rail. He noticed Mrs. Reilly was already gone and realized how late it really was. He decided to unsaddle and curry his horse after he checked in with Maggie.

He went into the house, aching all over. He was certain it was from the tension of the day and all the running around he'd done. He was flat out tired.

J.J. was still awake and playing on the floor. He saw his father come in, gurgled, "Da!" and reached up for him.

Jarrod laughed and pulled his son up into his arms before he sat down on the sofa, exhausted. "Little man, what are you still doing up?"

Maggie came in from the kitchen. "Waiting for his father, just like me."

"Oh, I'm sorry it took so long today, but it was worth it," Jarrod said.

Maggie broke into a great smile. "It's all done?"

Jarrod smiled and nodded. "Mother has a new granddaughter. Victoria Marie Wheeler is already in her new home."

Maggie squealed, came hurrying to her husband and kissed him on the mouth. "You did it!"

"I did it," Jarrod said, and he bounced J.J. on his knee a couple times. "And you have a brand new cousin, J.J.! I haven't eaten – is there anything left for me?"

"Of course, I'll get you a plate," Maggie said and went back to the kitchen.

Jarrod really wanted to take his boots off, but he knew he had to go back out to take care of his horse after he ate. He resolved that tomorrow he'd buy a bigger pair of boots. He put J.J. back on the floor, and J.J. went back to playing with the blocks he was playing with when his father came in. Jarrod went into the kitchen, stood behind his wife and put his arms around her waist.

"You're an aunt, and I'm an uncle," he said.

"Huh," Maggie said. "I hadn't thought about that. How are you feeling? Was the day too rough on you?"

"It was a long one," Jarrod said, and left it at that.

"You're breathing is a little noisy."

"I think it's gonna stay that way from now on, but I'm all right. Be better when I can take my boots off, but I still have to take care of my horse."

"Why don't you ask one of the hands to do it?"

"Oh, Jingo's had a hard day, too. I'd rather take care of him myself."

"Well, don't try to eat too fast or you'll upset your stomach."

"I've got a cast iron stomach."

"Don't take it for granted."

Maggie handed Jarrod a plate of beef stew, and he carried it to the table where a fork was waiting for him. Maggie brought him a cup of coffee and sat down with him.

"This is very good," Jarrod said.

"It's left over from last night," Maggie said. "Some things just taste better the next day."

"You know, I don't think I've ever felt so gratified as I did today. Seeing the smile on Audra's face when I brought her that baby – it meant everything to me."

Maggie reached for his hand. "I can imagine. Maybe we should go over there tomorrow."

"Probably a good idea, see if they need any help." Jarrod looked at his son playing on the floor, and he smiled when J.J. fell over. He laughed watching J.J. reaching for the blocks even though he had wriggled onto his stomach. "It's wonderful having a child, isn't it?"

Maggie nodded. "I'm glad Audra and Carl know that now, too, thanks to Pappy."

Jarrod chuckled. "I am never gonna get rid of that name, am I?"

"It's all yours, my love, and well earned."

The End


End file.
